Daniel James Holdom to stand trial for murder of Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, Khandalyce Pearce
Mentions: Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce Pearce Publication: ABC News (Australia) Date: 24 August 2017 Authors: Mazoe Ford and Nour Haydar Original: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-24/daniel-james-holdom-committed-to-stand-trial/8838704 ---- Daniel James Holdom has been committed to stand trial for the murders of 20-year-old Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and her two-year-old daughter Khandalyce Pearce. Holdom, 42, is accused of killing Ms Pearce-Stevenson in 2008 and dumping her body in the notorious Belanglo State Forest. Her remains were found in 2010. Police have also accused Holdom of killing Khandalyce, whose remains were found inside a suitcase beside the Karoonda Highway in South Australia in 2015. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) told Holdom's committal hearing the crown case relied on "an overwhelming combination of circumstantial evidence and direct admissions". That evidence includes mobile phone tower records placing Holdom at both locations. Holdom also confessed to the murders to two people he knew, DPP solicitor Victoria Engel said. Police submissions included a diary entry dated October 2013 written by one of the people Holdom allegedly told about the murders. "Daniels lied to me! Said he killed Karlie and Khandal but there sic still alive! It's all over Facebook," it said. "He says their dead nd sic he made them think she's alive but everything he says don't make sense." The court heard on the evening of December 14, 2008, Holdom and Karlie-Pearce Stevenson left a Canberra property together but he returned the following morning alone. According to police, phone data shows Holdom's phone was in the vicinity of Sutton Forest at that time – near the Belanglo State Forrest. Three days later he asked someone he knew to go with him to clean the car, traded the car in for another and said he was going to take Khandalyce to stay with her grandmother. But instead, mobile phone records and hotel records showed that Holdom and Khandalyce stayed at a Wagga Wagga hotel where the little girl was seen alive for the last time. "He never had any intention of returning Khandalyce to anywhere alive as it would have raised suspicions about the whereabouts of her mother," Ms Engel said. It is alleged Holdom went to Woolworths in Wagga Wagga where he purchased duct tape and cloths. 'SD card contained photos of Karlie's body' The accused also continued to use Ms Pearce-Stevenson's key card and credit card after killing her, the court heard, and it is alleged he accessed approximately $71,000 from her accounts. The crown's case against Holdom also claims he used her credit card to book a flight from Canberra to Adelaide, and accessed her Centrelink account. The court was told police have an SD card from a digital camera which belonged to Holdom that contains images of Ms Pearce-Stevenson's body in the Belanglo State Forest. Ms Engel said it is alleged he kept the photos as a "trophy" of sorts. Holdom represented himself during proceedings, with some help from a legal aid solicitor. Ms Pearce-Stevenson was a single mother and had moved away from her family with Khandalyce between 2006 and 2008, intending to travel and work. She was last seen driving a car with Khandalyce on the Stuart Highway near Coober Pedy on November 8, 2008. The two sets of remains, found more than 1,000 kilometres apart, were a mystery until two callers to Crime Stoppers provided critical information that enabled Khandalyce to be identified. Holdom will appear in the Supreme Court in October for arraignment. Category:Aug 2017 Category:ABC News (Australia)